On Thursday 24 July 2014 Mr Nathan Holliday was found guilty at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court of two offences of unlawfully practising dentistry contrary to section 38 (1) and (2) of the Dentists Act 1984, namely tooth whitening.The offences took place at Neat Teeth, 378 Ecclesall Road, Sheffield, S11 8PJ on 19 December 2013 and 31 March 2014.Mr Holliday didn’t attend court, but was fined £5,000 in his absence and ordered to pay a £120 victim surcharge.He has also been ordered to pay £2,073.86 towards the GDC costs.

Tooth whitening is the practice of dentistry. This means that, in accordance with the law, it must only be carried out by registered dentists, dental hygienists, dental therapists and clinical dental technicians (working to the prescription of a dentist).Patients can check their dental professional is registered by logging on to the GDC’s website.

On 23 September 2015, Jade Hayes pleaded guilty at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court to unlawfully practising dentistry, namely tooth whitening, contrary to Section 38 (1) and (2) of the Dentists Act 1984.In addition, she pleaded guilty to unlawfully carrying on the business of dentistry, contrary to Section 41(1) and (1B) of the Dentists Act 1984.

Ms Hayes told the court that she had been trained to provide tooth whitening by ‘Hollywood Whitening’ and was wrongly assured by the company that the practice was legal.

She’s been fined £1000 and ordered to pay a court charge of £150, a £75 victim surcharge, and £150 compensation to the victim. She has also been ordered to pay costs to the GDC of £1000.

The offences took place on 3 June 2015 at LA Hair Extensions, 1-3 Brightmoor Street, Nottingham, NG1 1FD.

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On 29 September 2015, Victoria Reeve pleaded guilty at Colchester Magistrates’ Court to unlawfully holding herself out as being prepared to practise dentistry, namely tooth whitening, contrary to Section 38 (1) and (2) of the Dentists Act 1984.

She’s been fined £1000 and ordered to pay a £100 victim surcharge, and full costs to the GDC of £939.71.

The offences took place at The Nail Bar, 15 Head Street, Halstead, Essex CO9 2AT.

Ms Reeve was offering a 'self-administered' method of tooth whitening and her website claimed she was using a banned chemical to whiten teeth, namely sodium perborate.The court felt this was a serious case, aggravated by the fact Ms Reeve had received two previous warning letters from the GDC.

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She has been sentenced to a 12 month conditional discharge and ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge. In addition she must pay £250 compensation to the victim for pain and suffering and £65 compensation to the victim for re-imbursement of the cost of the treatment. She has also been ordered to pay costs to the GDC of £1468.63.

The offence tool place at Jo and Cass Beauty Salon, 9 Great John Street, Lancaster, LA1 1NQ.

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A Liverpool man was fined almost £4,000 after the General Dental Council (GDC) found that he carried out illegal tooth whitening at his sunbed and beauty salon.

Elliot Barton pleaded guilty to the charges brought by the regulator for dental professionals at Liverpool Magistrates' Court on 19 November 2015.

Mr Barton ignored a warning letter from the GDC and continued to practise. He claimed that he was trained by Brighter Smiles in Manchester.

District Judge Miriam Shelvey said it was clearly important that these cases were brought because of the risk of harm to the public.

He was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay a £120 victim surcharge and £150 Court charge, as well as GDC's costs of £2,658. The total sum is £3,828.Francesca Keen, Head of Illegal Practice at the General Dental Council, said: "It's important to prosecute a person who ignored previous warnings to stop and was making money out of a procedure that he was not qualified or registered to do. "I am pleased with the outcome. It sends a message - which was acknowledged by the judge - that illegal teeth whitening can cause harm and should only be carried out by registered dental professionals."

A Southampton woman was given a 12 month conditional discharge after pleading guilty to carrying out tooth whitening illegally in a prosecution brought by the General Dental Council (GDC)

At a case heard at West Hampshire Magistrates' Court on 25 November, the defendant Laura Little claimed that she was trained by All White 3000.

The magistrates commented that this case was aggravated as Ms Little had used a medical questionnaire and a product containing a high level of hydrogen peroxide which could put the public at risk of harm. She also offered to examine the investigator's tooth which she was not legally able to do so as she is not on the register of dentists and dental care professionals.

Ms Little was ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge and a £150 court charge. She was also ordered to pay full costs to the GDC of £2252.09.

Commenting on the case, Francesca Keen, Head of Illegal Practice at the General Dental Council, said: "The case is quite shocking as you have someone who is masquerading as a professional and making money by carrying out procedures when she is not qualified or registered to do so.

"Offering illegal treatments like this when not properly registered or qualified to do so has the potential to cause harm to the public. The verdict sends a message that if you carry out illegal teeth whitening you will be punished as tooth whitening must only be carried out by registered dental professionals.

Posted - 30/11/2015 : 20:54:59I'm in part agreement with phillucas639. I have little sympathy with those who are whitening illegally but this is starting to look like some sort of witch hunt.

Just a rough tally on those cases on this page alone shows that the GDC's has received costs of around £10K. I know this is peanuts to them but some poor schmuk is getting hammered and the bigger fish training them are probably getting away scot free.

The one case I wrote to the GDC about, a franchise in a well known superstore in York, frizzled out when there was an opportunity to make a statement, maybe.

Is this 'protecting the patients and protecting our registered position' actually a little money earning sideline for the GDC?

Posted - 08/03/2016 : 12:04:07The General Dental Council (GDC) and Thurrock Trading Standards have joined forces to stop a leading high street retailer from offering tooth whitening services by individuals not on the register of dental professionals.

An investigation by the GDC found sales assistants in the Hair and Beauty by Regis UK concession stands in Tesco stores were offering tooth whitening services to in-store customers using kits and LED lamps. The GDC was concerned about this practice as the law makes it clear that only registered dental professionals should offer tooth whitening treatments.

In a separate investigation, Thurrock Trading Standards had concerns about tooth whitening products provided by the company Pearlys, which were being sold in Regis concessions in the Tesco Extra store in the Lakeside shopping centre.

The GDC and Thurrock Trading Standards have spoken with Regis UK Limited and offered advice and guidance to help them to comply with the law in relation to the sale of products and the offers to provide tooth whitening treatment by unregistered individuals.

Regis has given assurances that, following the advice received it will no longer offer tooth whitening services, including within those concessions in any Tesco stores.Katie Spears, Interim Head of Illegal Practice at the General Dental Council, said: "I am pleased that Regis has decided to stop offering tooth whitening services.

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A woman has pleaded guilty to carrying out tooth whitening illegally at a Newbury beauty salon and was fined £1,000 in a prosecution brought by the General Dental Council (GDC).

At a case heard at Reading Magistrates' Court on 4 March 2016, defendant Jade Mitchell was holding herself out as being prepared to practise tooth whitening at Secrets nail and beauty salon, Market Street on 25 November 2015 when she was not on the GDC's list of registered dental professionals.

In her defence, Ms Mitchell told the court that she was trained by the company All White 3000.

As well as receiving a fine, she was also ordered to pay £100 compensation to the victim and the GDC's costs of £2,248.23.

The magistrates commented that the material All White 3000 had provided her with was unimpressive - which alongside the warning letters - should have caused her to question her ability to carry out tooth whitening legally.

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A Birmingham man has pleaded guilty to carrying out tooth whitening illegally at a Birmingham salon and was sentenced to a two year conditional discharge in a prosecution brought by the General Dental Council (GDC).

The case was heard at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on 9 March 2016, where defendant Dorian Kinderman pleaded guilty to holding himself out as being prepared to practise dentistry, namely tooth whitening, on 29 August 2015 at the Natural Health Centre, Birmingham.

Mr Kinderman ignored warning letters from the GDC telling him to stop performing tooth whitening. As well as the conditional discharge, he was ordered to pay GDC's costs of £1246.

Commenting on the case, Francesca Keen, Head of Illegal Practice at the General Dental Council, said: "This is an important reminder that anybody carrying out illegal tooth whitening will be punished accordingly, as tooth whitening must only be carried out by registered dental professionals.

"Mr Kinderman was previously warned to stop carrying out tooth whitening after we made it clear this should only be carried out by registered dental professionals. As an unregistered individual, Mr Kinderman hasn't the skill, knowledge nor, indeed, the training to perform tooth whitening and he put patients' safety at risk by doing so. The General Dental Council was left with little choice but to prosecute.

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A prosecution brought by the General Dental Council (GDC) has seen a man who works for a company that specialises in tooth whitening products plead guilty to carrying out tooth whitening illegally at a salon in South Woodford, east London and fined over £4300.

Several complaints were made against the salon, Pearlys, where Joseph Lazaroo worked as the national training manager. A GDC investigation on 7 October 2014 at the Pearlys salon in Chigwell Road, South Woodford found Mr Lazaroo was offering to carry out the treatment without being on GDC's list of registered dental professionals.

Mr Lazaroo had previously ignored warning letters sent by the GDC to the salon telling them to stop performing tooth whitening.

At a case heard at Thames Magistrates' Court on 15 March 2016, he was fined £1,600, ordered to pay a £160 victim surcharge as well as costs to the GDC of £2,580.43. This is a total of £4,340.43.

Commenting on the case, Francesca Keen, Head of Illegal Practice at the General Dental Council, said: "The verdict sends a message that if you carry out illegal tooth whitening, you will be punished as tooth whitening must only be carried out by registered dental professionals.

"As an unregistered individual, Mr Lazaroo does not have the skill, knowledge nor, indeed, the training to perform tooth whitening and he put patients' safety at risk by doing so. It was fortunate that no-one suffered harm as a result of his actions.

"His refusal to comply with the law - and the fact that he was using products that contain banned substances in the UK - left us with little choice but to prosecute.

"I would always advise to consult your dentist and check the GDC's register before you agree to any tooth whitening treatment. Not doing so creates the risk of permanent damage to your teeth."

During the course of the conversation with investigators, he said that the products he would be using contained sodium perborate - which is banned in the UK.

After subsequent testing, the Pearlys tooth whitening products contained levels of hydrogen peroxide fifteen times higher than is permitted for direct sale to UK consumers (at 1.55%), as well as sodium perborate.

This result follows recent joint working with Thurrock Trading Standards to help stop unregistered individuals working in Regis UK concessions in Tesco stores from offering tooth whitening services using Pearlys products.

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A prosecution against a man who set up an illegal tooth whitening business on Oxford Street and charged £69 a time for treatment pleaded guilty to two charges brought by the General Dental Council (GDC) and was fined over £10,000.

The investigation was prompted by two complaints about Fadi Hatab at the clinic jointly owned with his brother on 51 Oxford Street, London. He carried out tooth whitening illegally on two people on 23 and 31 July 2015 without being on GDC's list of registered dental professionals.

At a case heard at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 16 March 2016, he was fined £5,000 for each charge, ordered to pay a £120 victim surcharge as well as GDC's costs of £1,192.53, making a total of £11,312.53.

When passing sentence, the District Judge stated that "It is a serious aggravating feature that you were operating your business as if you were a dentist. By displaying a GDC registration number you were clearly holding yourself out in order to make people believe you were a dentist.

"At 14 appointments a day at £69 each you were making a considerable amount of money."

Commenting on the case, Francesca Keen, Head of Illegal Practice at the General Dental Council, said: "This sentence sends a clear message that if you carry out illegal tooth whitening, there will be consequences as tooth whitening must only be carried out by registered dental professionals.

"As an unregistered individual, Mr Hatab does not have the skill, knowledge nor, indeed, the training to perform tooth whitening. He clearly had very little thought for his patients' safety or the risk he was taking with their teeth when he took their money.

"By his refusal to comply with the law and masquerading as a dentist, he was placing the public at risk of harm which left us with little choice but to prosecute.

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The General Dental Council (GDC) has successfully prosecuted a Derbyshire woman who pleaded guilty to illegally providing tooth whitening.

Ms Georgia Harrison was sentenced to a six month conditional discharge and ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge and costs of £380 at a case heard at Buxton Magistrates' Court on 26 April 2016.

Ms Harrison ignored two previous warning letters sent to the Tan Bar salon on Norfolk Street, Glossop where she worked. After receiving a further complaint, the GDC opened an investigation.

Speaking about the case, Francesca Keen, Head of Illegal Practice at the GDC said: "This prosecution further demonstrates the consequences individuals face when choosing to provide tooth whitening illegally. Ms Harrison had been informed of the possible consequences should she continue to offer this service without being registered with us.

"The verdict sends a message to anybody who is currently practising tooth whitening without being on our register that we will prosecute. This is our fifth successful prosecution we have carried out against an individual using the Megawhite system.

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